Ex-Colonial Hall Is D-League Call-Up

When forward Mike Hall was released by the Washington Wizards on Oct. 29, he was understandably disappointed, but Coach Eddie Jordan made a point of saying Hall should keep himself in shape.

Hall, the former George Washington University star, did just that by playing 29 games with the Tulsa 49ers of the NBA Development League, and yesterday, the Wizards signed him to a 10-day contract. The team released center James Lang, who appeared in 11 games after beating out Hall for the final spot on the roster.

In five preseason games with the Wizards, Hall averaged 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. He averaged 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 49 percent with Tulsa after recovering from a knee injury that hurt his chances of making the Wizards in the preseason.

"I learned real quick that there was some competitive basketball down there, and I worked every day to get better," Hall said. "I wasn't focused on trying to get a call-up or anything, I was just focusing on what I could do to get better as a player. I figured that if I did that, the call would come. It's a blessing, and now I'm going to see what I can do with it."

NBA rules allow teams to sign a player to a maximum of two 10-day contracts, after which the team must either release the player or sign him for the remainder of the season. Last season, guard Billy Thomas parlayed two 10-day contracts into a permanent roster spot with the Wizards and wound up getting playing time in the playoffs.